J&K needs strong Govt with democratic legitimacy: Mufti

Baramulla: Jammu and Kashmir can be governed effectively only by a party which has the legitimate mandate of the people and articulates their political, social and economic aspirations with conviction and consistency, said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Thursday.

“I assure you that nobody can disregard the people’s mandate and the new government in Jammu and Kashmir would be chosen by the people and not picked out by cobbling-up timeserving alliances,” Mufti said while addressing a public rally here.Only a strong government with democratic legitimacy can ensure peace and stability in the state and in a democratic setup people’s mandate is supreme and it has to be respected by one and all. The fact that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the biggest custodians of the state’s interests has to be recognised and their legitimate aspirations voiced through democratic means have to be respected to address the issues of trust-deficit and alienation, he said.

This is of fundamental importance to allow the democratic institutions in the State to grow and flourish without having the feeling of being in the protective custody. Since its formation, PDP has been on the forefront of seeking amicable settlement of the Kashmir issue and respond to all the aspirations of the people and channelize them through democratic means.

“The driving force for the PDP’s pro-people agenda is the public support, without which the party could have not achieved much, both in the government and in opposition,” he said and added that the party’s Self-Rule framework offers comprehensive solution to both the internal and external dimensions of the Kashmir issue.

Mufti claimed in its brief tenure in the government between 2002 and 2005, PDP had successfully taken the state on the path of peace, tranquillity and development. “We had set a goal of healing physical, psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by violence, strive towards giving good governance, ensuring political stability and fulfilling expectations of the people. We made efforts and succeeded in numerous ways,” he said and sought people’s support to accomplish PDP’s unfinished agenda of ending political and economic uncertainties plaguing Jammu and Kashmir for decades.